[brenda]

Hi,
I would like to get porcelain or crown done on my uppper 10 and lower 10 teeth. I am not sure which dentist is the best in Houston, TX.

I have visited Dentist Guy Lewis in Woodland, He charges $1500/teeth, I will have to invest $30,000 for my teeth to be close to perfect, just like to get a new car.

I saw Cindy on this forum...

Cindy, could you help me?? I did purchase your book: " The Ultimate Guide to Cosmetic Surgery". This book is great! :)

Any help?

[Guest]

I have a cousin who went to Dr. Greenfield. The practice is called Image Max. She gave me the # because I've been thinking of doing whitening (I have other things I've decided to get done first :wink: ): 888-517-4187. I know she's been really happy with the finished product. I hope that helps! :D

[J-Nice]

I have found out that alot of people head to countries in Central and South America to have cosmetic surgery they would not be able to afford here in the states. I am looking into this as we speak, because the cost of some of these procedures puts them way out of bounds for the average person. I have a friend in Venezuela and another in Argentina and as I will be visiting them I will be doing some snooping around.
A friends' father went to Columbia (where he is originally from) and had all types of root canals and crowns put in and he is very happy with the work. It was also thousands sheaper.
Think of it this way-What are you getting for 30 grand? You can't even get all of your teeth done for that price here in the states.
If you look at the spanish soap operas all of the actors and actresses have plastic surgery-they look too perfect. So the doctors must know what they are doing. It's all a matter of networking. So snoop around and see what you come up with-because of the internet it should be easier than ever to get your hands on information about cosmetic surgery of all types done in other countries for a fraction of the price here in the states.
By the way, $1500 a tooth is crazy, even at Park Avenue prices.

[roxby2613]

I totally agree with J-Nice's post.
There are very good doctors in South America (who have actually studied and learned in the US!) who have the latest techniques and charge 50 to 60 percent less for all kinds of cosmetic surgery and do a terrific job.
I understand the best plastic surgeons are in Brazil where this is all the rage....if anyone looks at Brazilian novelas (soaps) you'll see many of the actresses who are obviously up in the age (50 to 60) look drop dead gorgeous!....
I've never considered plastic surgery, but after watching the popular series Extreme Makeovers and Swan on TV, I realized I don't have to resign to let age take the better of me so I'm ready for my own mini makeover.
I'm planning to go to Peru this fall to get some liposuction, laser hair removal and a nose job, which will probably cost me less than 10 grand!
I'm gathering info on the top surgeons of the area so that I can put myself in trusted hands....

[Joy]

Hi. I am in South Florida. In the USA each tooth to be veenered costs from $800 to $1800 per tooth, depending on where you live. I will be getting them at a cost of $1,100 a tooth which is expensive, but the work is beautiful. Eventually when we move to Arizona, I may find out about Mexican docs/dentists where a lot of Americas go now.

[helen]

Hi,

I think it's a fantastic idea to get plastic surgery for less by traveling outside the country - as in South Africa, Peru, or Brazil - but how do you go about finding these surgeons? Are there any listings, web sites, or forums that can help me locate a good plastic surgeon ouside of this country? Thank you! :D

[tooth fairy]

I am a dental assistant, and know it is very expensive. Several employees/friends go to South/Central America and have same work done for 1/6 of the cost. Many times, they look better than most American dentist!

[west]

Dr. Elpidio alanis Alanis and his daughter Dra. Maricela Alanis do wonderful work for a fraction of the cost I was quoted here in Houston.

I lost a cap off a molar and was told by two different dentist it would have to be removed and either replaced with an implant at a cost of $5400 and change; or I would have to have the tooth removed along with a 3 unit bridge and replace the whole works with a 5 unit bridge after whittling down my eyethooth at a cost of $5500 and change.

Dr. Alanis never even mentioned removing my tooth and set about installing a post and new resin crown. The crown did not even contain any metal making a very nice finish along the gum line. His cost? $360.00. I also had several fillings which cost about $40.00 each. And no I didn't end up with a Grill. All the work was in resin.

I did ask about veneers and he does resin for about $80.00 each. He also does porcelain, however, because of the damage it does to the tooth he doesn't really recommend them. I didn't get the cost, but he could tell you over the phone I'm sure. Resin veneers can be done in just a few hours as they appartently are more like an overlay type thing as opposed to a cap type.

I am sorry I don't know a lot of technical terms in dentistry, but I do know the term for what I was getting here in Houston.

Give him a call and talk to Maricela at (868) 816-2846. That is in Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas, in old Mexico.

His office was very clean. He runs his own dental lab in the back where many other dentist in Matamoros came and went picking up their patients work.

Dr. Alanis has 25 years of experience with dentistry and dental lab work. His lovely daughter has only 1 year, but works beside him doing most of the translating from Spanish to English.

My boyfriend was so impressed that he also scheduled a much needed crown on an upper molar. He was also very pleased.

There was a 3 day wait for the lab work, but we enjoyed the sights, food, and shopping in Mexico, and even spent Saturday on South Padre Island which is only about 20 miles.

I was so afraid of going to Mexico (All my 52 years in Texas and I had never been across the Border) that I had to see my physician for muscle relaxers. But everyone there was so nice. And Dr. Alanis insisted on driving us back to the bridge instead of letting us take a taxi.

[little1]

Hey all,

You think that is bad, here is my story.

I initially got my second set of veneers in Pittburgh from the same dentist, who was - hind sight - technically challenged. He completely messed up my bite and the upper veneers ended up damaging my lower teeth as they were too long and incorrect for my bite. There was also greying, so he ended up scraping (and I mean SCRAPING), two set of the veneers over and over to get the right color and failing. At the time I thought I was getting a great deal and he was trying very hard. Later I learned the hard way this was not the case.

Now several years later, I live in Seattle and I called my detist to see if we could go about repairing and getting a new set of veneers and here is the per veneer price $2100!!! I almost fell out of my chair. Here is the front desks explanation 'it has gotten very competitive with advertisement and etc." So, what exactly am I paying for, doc's advert expenses or hs expertise. One wonders if I will ever be able to get this work done, which is now a matter of necessity rather than a simple cosmetic procedure...

Any words of wisdom?

Best,

Sue

[little1]

Hey all,

You think that is bad, here is my story.

I initially got my second set of veneers in Pittsburgh from the same dentist, who was - hind sight - technically challenged. He completely messed up my bite and the upper veneers ended up damaging my lower teeth as they were too long and incorrect for my bite. There was also graying, so he ended up scraping (and I mean SCRAPING), two set of the veneers over and over to get the right color and failing. At the time I thought I was getting a great deal and he was trying very hard. Later I learned the hard way this was not the case.

Now several years later, I live in Seattle and I called my dentist to see if we could go about repairing and getting a new set of veneers and here is the per veneer price $2100!!! I almost fell out of my chair. Here is the front desks explanation 'it has gotten very competitive with advertisement and etc." So, what exactly am I paying for, doc's advert expenses or his expertise? One wonders if I will ever be able to get this work done, which is now a matter of necessity rather than a simple cosmetic procedure...

Any words of wisdom?

Best,

Sue

[It's Me]

I got 6 top veneers in March. They were around $1000.00 per tooth. They are beautiful.

You don't see the bottom teeth when I smile or talk so I didn't get them done, and the other top teeth are so far back in my mouth (mouth is very narrow) so I didn't get them done either.

The only thing I wish I had known ahead of time is how much of the tooth they take off before putting on the veneers. They take a LOT of tooth off.

Janet

[ladyelaine]

If any of you are still struggling with finding good cosmetic dentistry specialists, we launched a new website relatively recently that might help: www.HealthySmileForum.com. You can learn more about dental procedures that are out there and associated costs and what you should look for in a dentist. There's also a cosmetic dentist finder, so you can try to locate a specialist near you. Hopefully this proves helpful for some of you!

[r3tuor1]

At first you must know, what types of crowns are available?
Permanent crowns can be made from all metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, all resin, or all ceramic.
• Metals used in crowns include gold alloy, other alloys (for example, palladium) or a base-metal alloy. Compared with other crown types, less tooth structure needs to be removed with metal crowns, and tooth wear to opposing teeth is kept to a minimum. Metal crowns withstand biting and chewing forces well and probably last the longest in terms of wear down. Also, metal crowns rarely chip or break. The metallic color is the main drawback. Metal crowns are a good choice for out-of-sight molars.
• Porcelain-fused-to-metal dental crowns can be color matched to your adjacent teeth (unlike the metallic crowns). However, more wearing to the opposing teeth occurs with this crown type compared with metal or resin crowns. The crown's porcelain portion can also chip or break off. Next to all-ceramic crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns look most like normal teeth. However, sometimes the metal underlying the crown's porcelain can show through as a dark line, especially at the gum line and even more so if your gums recede. These crowns can be a good choice for front or back teeth.
• All-resin dental crowns are less expensive than other crown types.
• All-ceramic or all-porcelain dental crowns provide the best natural color match than any other crown type.
• Temporary versus permanent. Temporary crowns can be made in your dentist's office whereas permanent crowns are made in a dental laboratory. Temporary crowns are made of acrylic or stainless steel and can be used as a temporary restoration until a permanent crown is constructed by the dental laboratory.